What age is schooling in Finland?

- Almost all children aged 6 participate in pre-primary education in Finland. Compulsory school starts at age 7. - All teachers of pre-primary education who enter the profession have a Bachelor's degree in Finland, as in most other OECD countries.

What age do kids go to school in Finland?

The educational system in Finland consists of daycare programmes (for babies and toddlers), a one-year "preschool" (age six), and an 11-year compulsory basic comprehensive school (age seven to age eighteen).

What age is Grade 1 in Finland?

Basic information about primary and lower secondary education. Primary and lower secondary education is provided within a single structure. Primary and lower secondary education consist of grades 1–9. School education begins in the year a child turns 7 and lasts 9 years, until pupils are 15–16 years old.

How do school years work in Finland?

The Finnish education system

Compulsory education applies to all 6–18-year-olds. It includes pre-primary, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education. After 9 years basic education there is general upper secondary or vocational upper secondary education and training.

Does Finland have GCSEs?

Because in Finland, there is no equivalent to GCSEs. Nor are there tests at school entry, or SATS.

Why Finland's schools outperform most others across the developed world | 7.30

How long is Finland school day?

Typically, the Finnish school day starts anywhere from 9 to 9:45 a.m., and students typically spend only about five hours a day in the classroom. What's more, Finnish students typically have little to no homework.

Are schools in Finland free?

In Finland, education is free at all levels for pupils and students. There are no tuition fees from pre-primary until higher education.

Why do children start school at 7 in Finland?

#1 Finnish children enter education at a later age than in many countries. They start school at age 7 and believe that “starting children in school before they're naturally developmentally ready has no scientifically proven long-term advantage”.

Do kids have exams in Finland?

There are no mandated standardized tests in Finland, apart from one exam at the end of students' senior year in high school. There are no rankings, no comparisons or competition between students, schools or regions. Finland's schools are publicly funded.

What are school hours in Finland?

Usually, school starts at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 2:45 p.m., with an hour for lunch and 15 minutes between each class, so students have plenty of time to relax between classes!

What do Finnish children do before starting school?

In Finland, children are entitled to receive early childhood education before they reach school age. Early childhood education is organised in day care centres and family day care. Children may also participate in open early childhood education together with a parent, for example, at a playground.

Do kids in Finland do homework?

Finnish schools have a relatively low amount of homework.

Homework is seen more as a recap of what has been learned in the class but it is not supposed to take a hours of time at home. Usually students finish the rest of the assignments that was covered during the lesson and read through the next chapter.

How many hours a day do kids go to school in Finland?

Lunch is 30 minutes long. First and second graders attend school for a maximum of five hours a day and average 19 lessons a week. Older students attend school for up to seven hours a day. Third and fourth graders have 23 lessons a week, and fifth and sixth graders have 24 lessons.

Is Health Care Free in Finland?

Healthcare Costs in Finland

Public healthcare in Finland is not free, and even if it is mainly funded by taxation, some small charges are still in place.

Are school meals free in Finland?

Finland's national school meal programme, one of the longest-running in the world, provides a free daily meal to all children and young people from pre-primary to upper secondary school.

Can foreigners go to school in Finland?

If you come from a non-EU/EEA country, you will need to apply for a student residence permit. Start you residence permit application as soon as you have received official confirmation on your admission! Make sure you have a valid insurance, apply for housing and buy your ticket to Finland.

How long is summer break in Finland?

6. There are a total of 190 school days in a Finnish school year. School year starts in the middle of August and ends in May. Finnish kids have about 10 weeks of summer holiday as well as holidays in autumn, Christmas break and winter usually in February.

How many weeks is summer break in Finland?

The summer break is ten weeks. In addition schools have autumn, Christmas and winter breaks. Teaching time in basic education is among the lowest in the world. Finnish pupils stay in school 6 300 hours during their 9-year basic education.

Do Finland go to school on Saturday?

During the school year, there are autumn, winter and Easter holidays in addition to summer holidays. Instruction is given weekly from Monday to Friday. There is no school on Saturdays except on the final days of the autumn and spring term. Minor changes are possible on an annual basis.

Do they speak English in Finland schools?

The language of instruction in English-language basic education is English. The only exception is the subject of Finnish language and literature, which will be taught in Finnish. Applicants for grades 1 to 7 must have native or near-native proficiency in English, but prior skills in Finnish are not required.

Do Finland schools have no homework?

Teacher and student “familiar”

During this time, teachers act as mentors, guides, and even family members. This trust and attachment helps teachers and students understand and respect each other. No tests, no homework, no penalties, Finnish education is still at the top of the world, why is that? - Photo 1.

Is education easy in Finland?

Yes. Finland's forward-thinking teaching and flexible education pathways make it one of the best education systems. It ranks 8th among the top 10 well-educated countries in 2023 by the World Population Review.

Is school in Finland stressful?

No, not all. Some manage to stress about school though it's designed to be as relaxed as possible as it is known stress decreases obes ability to learn and think. Some Finnish children are very focused in music, arts, sports or another activity and can be quite stressed about their performance.

Are students in Finland happy?

While 85.5 percent of fourth and fifth graders expressed satisfaction with life, the corresponding figure among older students was around 66.6 percent.